Lamley Daily: 2019 Matchbox ’80 Mercedes-Benz W123 Wagon

It’s been awhile since I’ve dropped a photo preview on the Lamley Blog. Consider this a Valentine’s Day gift I guess. Love certainly is in the air because I am way into this model. Matchbox has done a model they seem meant to do – an early 80’s Mercedes Wagon.

Everything fits the bill for this one to be released as a Matchbox, and it doesn’t disappoint. When I think of this era of Mercedes-Benz, I think of the pronounced grill, and it is there for all to see. The color is also a great choice for the castings debut.

Ultimately this is about the choice. I hear a whir of the engine when I think of this car, as I rode to school and soccer practice in a couple of these. And that is what I think of when I think of Matchbox. Hot Wheels historically represented the cars on the posters on my wall. Matchbox made the cars I lived my life in. You can’t hold steadfast to that rule, but it is an easy way to think about it. And that is one of the reasons this model is so welcome.

Look for it to be released in the next few months. And many thanks to Matchbox for providing this model for preview.

It is pretty nice. I’m just glad they went for a more pronounced white base instead of going full-on grey plastic just like every other new classic they’re releasing. White plastic looks a lot better, still cheap but better. Just like what the newest Nissan Junior did. Love the detail! I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this as well as the Premium Plus line and Superfast line that I keep seeing hit Walmarts on Youtube videos but still haven’t found in person!

While I love the casting, I wish they had made it in red or white. This green is a bit bland imo. Also its screaming for a chrome base. What is it with Matchbox and grey bases on classic cars? It looks cheap and pathetic. I hope they fix it on future versions.

At least Mattel will have a 1000 years legacy on this brand. When archeological digs from time team, and they would find plastic remnants in soil. They would say “Mattel the American company!”…. ,” they were the corporation who killed the matchbox brand………. !”.

People will pay more than a dollar. Walmart beleives they have a a ceiling they cant sell them over. Proven wrong by all the locations that we buy them for a bit more.

Unfortunately as a result the brand may not recover from the changes made to meet Walmart’s requests as production methods have been changed to meet it. Things like smaller models, plastic roofs, 4 piece count, etc.

Someone ought to publish the poll: “Would you pay 50 cents to one dollar more for the production quality we were used to in the mid 2000s?” If it reached enough people I’m sure the results would favour the price increase.

This color is so perfect for the model – it seems like every Mercedes of that era came in an earth tone. The only thing missing is the biofuel bumper sticker. My only gripe with this one are the headlights. They look too small. Other than that, a really nice edition to the line.

I love this model however two areas for improvement opportunities are the wheel arch shape and the grill.
1. The tapering wheel arch which is a very strong style element on the W123 wagons is missing here.
2. If the grill was built into the body and not the base it could have been painted to offset plastic base. If they are going to use a plastic base then they should try to keep it as low as possible on vehicles. Bumpers and base only.

The Grille / headlights need to a chrome single piece. It is the focal point of the whole car and the grey lets it down badly. In it’s present form it looks very drab but, with a chrome grille and maroon or dark blue paint it would look spectacular !

My humble two cents: this is a strong contender for best new model of 2019. The execution is fantastic. Period correct wheels and paint. The proportions seem spot on. I have a Yatming Mercedes Benz 450 SEL (I think) in my collection that has almost the same paint color. Funny to think that even Yatming produced cars in period correct colors back when the brand meant something.

My humble two cents: this is a strong contender for best new model of 2019. Execution is fantastic. Period-accurate wheels and paint. Proportions seem spot on. I have a Yatming Mercedes 450 SEL (I think) in my collection that has nearly the same paint color. Funny how even Yatming produced cars with period correct paint back in the day when the brand meant something.

They need to lose that Horrible large Post in the back. Make it so a piece of the base goes through the License Plate area, to hold the rear of the base. Look at the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and the the Jeep Cherokee. LOSE THE POST. PLEASE.

@Jeff Webster
Matchbox is already dead in many places in Europe. Here it costs around USD2.2, and the deterioration in quality at this price is unjustified. I see supermarkets are now dropping Matchbox brand and stocking other brands – mainly Welly and Majorette. And seems that the same will happen with Hot Wheels. The market is OVERSTOCKED with Hot Wheels cars, they are everywhere and many models just hang on the pegs forever. Multiple recolours of the same car and generics are to blame in my opinion, I didn’t see that children would be interested in 20 recolours of the same car.
So Mattel is in trouble in Europe, and actually I’m glad for it. Years of penny pinching, distribution problems, concentration on US market and constant increase in price have led to this. There are plenty of companies that are producing better product at same price point, so bye bye Mattel.

I like this model, mostly because I have a weak spot for this kind of Mercedes. That said, you are right about it. I agree with you on the BMW 2002 as well. It’s too tall. With all the technology at our fingertips, why is it so hard to get these things right?

My humble two cents: this is a strong contender for best new model of 2019. Execution is fantastic. Period-accurate wheels and paint. Proportions seem spot on. I have a Yatming Mercedes 450 SEL (I think) in my collection that has nearly the same paint color. Funny how even Yatming produced cars with period correct paint back in the day when the brand meant something.

You know.. i’ll always disagree with the supposed power Walmart has over Mattel, to produce a MBX vehicle with cost cutting measures, which keep it below a certain cost. To Walmart, they’re just “Toys” & therefore it seems Mattel will comply to meet WM’s demands to make the product affordable to parents!
It’s as if parents are on a budget so the big box store wants keep costs low enough to sell or if it’s too pricey,
the parent will contemplate a ‘no sale’.

Cheap, dull plastic parts will detract from the aesthetics of the product and I believe will hurt the appeal, as opposed to using chrome to brighten and lure a kids taste, let alone a collector!
Check out the Moving Parts purple ’64 Pontiac Grand Prix and you’ll CHEAP plastic bumpers and you see it time & time again, the package shows the car with CHROME bumpers!

All I can say is this cost cutting crap IS A SAD SIGN of things to come. I like the comments which state some will pay a little more to get more and I agree. Less metal and more plastic.. yeah, ok!
Someone on here mentioned Mattel killing the Matchbox brand.. it’s like seeing GM die because they kept screwing over the customer to the point where no one wanted to buy such crap because the people who run the company cared more about themselves & their pockets.. like the customer never got what they wanted so let the business die to teach a lesson!

So can anybody explain UK’s 3 dollar point?!…. What was so amazing we were paying at that point?!… Were!!!!!….. Asda Walmart?….. Urm… Were we subsidizing your dollar point ??!… And ROW?…again raise the the dollar point and everyone Else pays more again!… Its nice to see a big range and flavours you Americans have thrown at you ,at all angles. Mattel doesn’t want to make money and promote for the ROW?!…. Then again 4/5 dollar point?!?!?… Is UK getting mbx back?!…. Can’t get my head around why the hush hush secret club UK’s Mattel offers.